People Who Are Into Kinky Sex Are Psychologically Healthier, Study Says

While those who are interested in or even turned on by kinky sex including bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism (BDSM) are often shunned by polite society or looked upon as being unusual or having “issues,” a new study says thatplaying with whips and handcuffs may actually mean you’re more psychologically stable.

The study rounded up 902 BDSM and 434 non-BDSM, or vanilla, participants, for several rounds of questionnaires aimed at gauging their overall mental health with questions about their personality, sensitivity to rejection, style of attachment in relationships, and overall well-being.

The results seem surprising to many, but once you understand what they mean, it actually makes sense! Think about it: A person who is willing to give in to their fetishes, experiment with toys, communicate with a safe word, and explore options outside the normal missionary or doggy-style sex would definitely be more comfortable with themselves. This isn’t saying that those “vanilla” people aren’t, it’s strictly a correlation. And an interesting one at that.